Highlander/Main
"Like the rocks that break the waves, Highlanders have weathered many storms. Ancient alliances kept their lands but their owes have come due. They join our war out of obligation but they are not to be underestimated. Their claymore is the heaviest sword ever wielded. It can cut down even the most armored warrior. The elements battering their lands have made them strong. War has made them deadly." Highlander are a playable hero in For Honor. Overview The Highlander is not a typical hard-headed Viking. Ancient alliances and obligations have pulled them into this war, otherwise they would have remained guarding their homelands. They can stay in a defensive posture and stand toe to toe with the fiercest of warriors, weathering the flurry of blows with their claymore... until they see a momentary weakness and then they pounce, displaying their true strength and speed revealed with sweeping strikes and heavy blows. They are never going to be the first to jump into battle, as they will plan each move and always be ready to counter. The mountains have made them hard and resilient; war has made them deadly. Armor Highlanders have most of their armor covered by their clothes but some scale armor can be seen. They have a fur cape and a metal head band. Their pauldrons and greaves are made of leather and they wear a gray kilt. Weapon Claymore - The heaviest and longest sword on the battlefield. Cuts through armor. Trivia *Though a part of the Viking faction, the Highlander appears to hail from Scotland and only assists the Vikings due to ancient alliances between the two people. **The Highlander may also draw some inspiration from the Gallowglass, Norse-Gaelic mercenaries famously known for their use of the Claymore. *The term "Claymore" originates from the Scottish claidheamh-mór, which translates either to "great sword" or "broadsword" **The term was first documented in reference to the basket-hilted swords of the 18th century favored by Highland warriors. Its name was in reference to the size relative to the contemporary small sword. **Though older, the two-handed sword (claidheamh dà làimh) of medieval Scotland began to be called a Claymore in the 19th century retroactively. However, some debate exists within the historical and martial arts communities over the legitimacy of this terminology. **While the official description says the Claymore is capable of cutting through armor, actual Claymores are unable to cut through steel armor, although it is able to cut through leather or cloth. **It is worth noting that the Highlander's Claymore is larger than its historical counterparts. The weapon more closely resembles an exaggerated form of the 16th century Greatsword, a weapon more associated with the German Landsknecht. Combat-ready examples rarely exceeded 8 pounds and traditionally functioned as a lightweight Area Denial Weapon in the hands of professional bodyguards. ***The Highlander's Claymore, however, is especially unbalanced compared to its real-world counterparts, resulting in an implausibly clumsy fighting style *Highlander's fighting style is likely inspired by an exaggerated form of German Longsword, similar to the Warden **Defensive form ***Highlander's initial light attacks are based on Half-Sword, a technique where a swordsman holds his sword by the blade, allowing the weapon to be used in a manner akin to a spear. This offered superior point control, especial necessary against heavily armored enemies. ***His Side Guards are based on a variant of Vom Tag ("From the Roof"); however, this guard is traditionally used to set up an overhead cut, or block the same from an opponent. Highlander instead adopts Mittelhut (Middle Guard) before his Opening Heavy (Mittelhau) ***His Top Guard is based on Zornhut (Wrath Guard), a stance mainly used to set up Zornhau (Wrath Cut/Hew). Highlander however, adopts a more pronounced Roof Guard just prior to his heavy attack. **Offensive Form ***Highlander's Side guards are likely based on Nebenhut (Near Guard), a stance able to set up a rising diagonal cut (Unterhau), rather than Highlanders horizontal attack ***Highlander's Top guard is not featured in any preserved treatise. However, it does resemble one of the stances of Siegfried Schtauffen, a fictional Landsknecht form the Soul Calibur series of Fighting games *Before Marching Fire, the Highlander alongside the Shaman were the only heroes in For Honor to not have some kind of headgear or mask that obscures their face. *Description errors: **Originally, the official website mistakenly said "the Highlander is not a head-headed Viking." This error was fixed afterwards. **The names of the Highlander's executions and the Gladiator's were switched at release but was corrected later on. *The phrase, "Dunmaghlas," said by the Highlander when he enters his Offensive Stance, is a Scottish war cry that can be traced back to the Highland Scottish clans. **"Touch not this cat" is a common motto motif for Highland clans, one of such being the MacGillivray who is mistaken for having the motto of "Touch not the cat but a glove," which actually belongs to multiple clans, such as the Macpherson and Mackintosh. ***One of the writing staff for the game is a descendant of the MacGillivray.Developer Eric Pope's Reddit comment **Dunmaghlas (also written as "Dunmaglass") is the Anglicised name of an estate and multiple chief-castles in Scotland. **The phrase can be understood in two ways: as a motto or as a battle-cry dedicated to the Clan Seat. The two are not one and the same. ***As a motto, the phrase can be translated as "touch not the cat when its claws are out," or to put it in the context of the Highlander, "Do not try to challenge a Highlander that is ready to fight." ***As a battle-cry, it refers to Dunmaglass as the Clan Seat, the home of the Clan. In Scottish Gaelic, it is written as "Dùn Mac Glais" and literally means in this context "for the fortress of the sons of Glas." *The Highlander's current voice actor is Ólafur Darri Ólafsson. *The name for the signature "Aonaibh Ri Chéile" is the motto of Clan Cameron and translates to "let us unite." Quotes Combat *'Gaelic': "Dunmaghlas!" - English: "Touch not the cat but a glove." **Entering offensive stance *'Icelandic': "Kryfja hann!" - English: "Dissect him!" **Hitting with Balor's Might (Offensive Stance Heavy) *'Icelandic': "Til Orrustu!" - English: "To battle!" **Celtic Curse *'Icelandic': "Fjallabrjótur!" - English: "Mountain breaker!" **Formorian Kick *'Icelandic': "Dauðinn blasir við þér!" - English: "You face death!" **Caber Toss Emotes *'Icelandic': "Nú ertu dauður!" - English: "Now you're dead." **Intent To Behead Execution *'Icelandic: '"Dauðinn blasir við þér!" - English: '"You face death" **Fatal Toss Execution *'Icelandic: "Kjúklingur á teini!" - English: "Chicken on a skewer!" **Deep Cut Execution *'Icelandic': "Áfram með ykkur!" - English: "Forward!" **Heave-Ho Execution *'Icelandic': "Enn er verk að vinna! Áfram með ykkur!" - English: "There's still work to be done! Onward!" **Done My Smash Execution *'Icelandic': "Já ég er svo hættulegur. HRM! Er svo sterkur."– English: "Oh yeah, I'm so dangerous. HRM! (I'm) so strong." **Lumberjack Chop Emote *'Icelandic': "Jæja!"– English: "Well then." **Last Stand Emote or Oorah! Emote *'Icelandic': "Andskotans djöfull!" - English: "Bloody hell." **Insult To Injury Emote or Sole T Emote *'Icelandic': "Fyrirgefðu mér'!" - English': "Forgive me." **Moment of Reflection Emote *'Icelandic': "Hei, þú!" - English: "Hey, you!" **It's Go Time! Emote *'Icelandic': "Nú deyrðu!" - English: "Now you die." **Moment of Reflection Emote *'Icelandic': "Allt of þungt." - English: "Way too heavy." **I Have The Power! Emote *'Icelandic': "Ég vissi ekki að geirfuglinn gæti flogið!" - English: "I didn't know the Great Auk could fly." **Par 5 Emote **A Great Auk, "geirfugl", is a large flightless bird once common to Icelandic nature but extinct since 1844. *'Icelandic': "Hann er svo hættulegur, hann er svo sterkur!" - English: "He's so dangerous, he's so strong." **Lumberjack Chop Emote *'Icelandic': "Andskotans sverð!" - English: "Damn sword." **Nap Time Emote *'Icelandic': "Nú deyrðu." - English: "Now you die." **Hunker Down Emote Feats *'Icelandic': Dýrabogi – English: "Animal trap." or "Animal bow." **Bear Trap *'Icelandic': Ber er hver að baki nema sér bróður eigi – English: "Bare is your back unless a brother you have." **Inspire *'Icelandic': Fljúðu – English: "Fly." **Long bow *'Icelandic': Einbeita sér – English: "Focus." **Second Wind *'Icelandic': Nú er ég reiður – English: "Now I am angry." **Fury *'Icelandic': Fáum okkur hressingu! – English: "Let's have some refreshment!" **Champion's Aura References Category:Heroes Category:Viking